Method for batch preheating and pollution abatement in glass manufacture

Claim 1

A method for glass manufacture having improved energy efficiency and reduced pollution emissions, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a moving first bed of pelletized glass batch; (b) passing a stream of particulate-containing hot exhaust gases from a melting furnace over said first bed, thereby heating the pelletized glass batch of said first bed; (c) feeding said heated pelletized glass batch to the melting furnace and manufacturing glass thereby; (d) electrostatically ionizing the exhaust gases after said passing step (b); (e) providing a static second bed of pelletized glass batch; (f) electrically polarizing the pelletized glass in the static bed; and (g) passing the ionized exhaust gases from step (d) over said static second bed, thereby substantially reducing the amount of said particulates in said ionized exhaust gas; wherein said moving first bed is operable as a static bed, and said static second bed is operable as a moving bed, and wherein the method includes the step of periodically rendering said first bed static and said second bed moving, thereby reversing the functions of said first and second beds in said method, said step of periodically rendering said first bed static and said second bed moving comprises providing and utilizing a means for periodically converting said moving first bed of pelletized glass batch to a static bed and converting said static second bed of pelletized glass batch to a moving bed to thereby reverse the functions of said first and second beds.

Claim 2

A method for glass manufacture having improved energy efficiency and reduced pollution emissions, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a moving first bed of pelletized glass batch; (b) passing a stream of particulate-containing hot exhaust gases from a melting furnace over said first bed, thereby heating the pelletized glass batch of said first bed; (c) feeding said heated pelletized glass batch to the melting furnace and manufacturing glass thereby; (d) electrostatically ionizing the exhaust gases after said passing step (b); (e) providing a static second bed of pelletized glass batch; (f) electrically polarizing the pelletized glass in the static bed; and (g) passing the ionized exhaust gases from step (d) over said static second bed, thereby substantially reducing the amount of said particulates in said ionized exhaust gas; wherein said moving first bed is operable as a static bed, and said static second bed is operable as a moving bed, and wherein the method includes the step of periodically rendering said first bed static and said second bed moving, thereby reversing the functions of said first and second beds in said method, said step of periodically rendering said first bed static and said second bed moving comprises providing and utilizing a means for periodically converting said moving first bed of pelletized glass batch to a static bed and converting said static second bed of pelletized glass batch to a moving bed to thereby reverse the functions of said first and second beds.